Valve

ABSTRACT

A VALVE COMPRISING A HOLLOW BODY AND A PLUG ROTATABLY MOUNTED THEREIN. THE BODY INCLUDES AT LEAST TWO SPACED PORTS. THE PLUG INCLUDES TWO SPACED CHANNELS WHICH ARE ROTATABLE INTO AND OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH SAID PORTS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE VALVE.

Mafcfi 23, 1971 w. A. ACOSTA;

VALVE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aprii 15. 1-966 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM A. AC OSTA Marh 23 1971 w. A. AcosTA VALVE Original Fi ed April15, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fi/Vl 2. 6

[NYE/470R. WILLIAM A. ACOSTA BY Gama/q,

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ATTORNEYS.

r i, 1911 'w.,\. ACQSTA j 3.512.385

, VALVE Original Filed April 15. 1966 s Sheets-Sheet WILLIAM ki e s s n154 |52-- 4 no Rr/E Ys.

United States Patent 3,572,385 VALVE William A. Acosta, 5160 ButlerPike, Lafayette Hill, Pa. 19444 Original application Apr. 15, 1966, Ser.No. 542,835, now Patent No. 3,421,630. Divided and this applicationSept. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 760,498

Int. Cl. F16k 11/02 US. Cl. 137625.47 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A valve comprising a hollow body and a plug rotatably mountedtherein. The body includes at least two spaced ports. The plug includestwo spaced channels which are rotatable into and out of alignment withsaid ports for opening and closing the valve.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 542,835, filedApr. 15, 1966, now US. Pat. No. 3,421,630.

This invention relates to a valve, and more particularly, to a novelvalve which is particularly adapted for use in a filtration system.

It is now the practice when using industrial equipment which utilizes acontinuous flow of liquid to filter and recirculate the liquid duringuse. For instance, cutting oil is continually used in such industrialprocesses as milling or turning on a lathe. The oil will becomecontaminated with metal particles or dirt during use and must befiltered in order to be recirculated and re-used. The current practiceof filtering and re-using the oil is to pump the oil through a filtersystem wherein the oil will pass through a filter medium and be returnedto a trough for storage and re-use. Whenever the pump is turned on forthe oil, a valve is opened which permits the oil to pass through thefilter medium. Periodically, the filter medium must be cleaned in orderto remove any accumulated muck or dirt which has been built up withinthe filter. When this is done, the valve which admits the oil and thevalve which permits the removal of the filtered oil are both closed.Thereafter, a third valve connected to the filter tank is opened whichpermits the backwashing of the filter. Simultaneously with the openingof the third valve a fourth valve is opened which permits the backwashmaterial and contaminants to be removed. The backwash material can beair, clean oil or any other carrier liquid.

It is thus seen that in using the prior art filtration systems it isnecessary to manually open four individual valves in order to obtaineffective filtration and periodic cleaning of the filter medium. Usingthe valve of this invention in combination with a filter tank, only asingle hand operation must be carried out in order to obtain filtrationand backwash. Furthermore, this operation can easily be adapted toautomatic control, which control can be electrically or pneumaticallyactuated. Using the valve of this invention, which can be automatically,actuated, permits the use of a continuous filtration system for a fluid.Furthermore, the valve of this invention is adapted for continuous orintermittent filtration of substantially any fluids. Thus, it can beused equally well for the filtration of particles from air or other gas.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel valve.

It is another object of this invention to provide a valve which isadapted for automatic control.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a multi-ported valvewhich can be used for continuous flow or for the stoppage of all flow bysealing all of the ports simultaneously.

These and other objects of this invention are accomplished by providinga valve comprising a hollow body and a plug rotatably mounted in saidbody, said body having a plurality of spaced ports formed in the wallthereof, said plug having a first channel formed therein, said channeladapted to be in fluid communication with one of said ports, said plughaving a second channel formed therein, said second channel adapted tobe in communication with another of said ports when said first channelis in communication with said one of said ports, said channels adaptedto be connected in fluid communication with each other, and means forrotating said plug to bring said channels out of and into communicationwith two of said ports.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. '1 is a front elevational view of a filter system embodying thevalve and filter of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, but showing the alternateposition for the plug of the valve of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 88 of FIG. 2,with portions shown in plan for the purpose of clarity;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 1010 of FIG.7;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the plug of the valve of thisinvention;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the plug of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view of the plug of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of the plug of FIG. 11; 11FIG. 15 isa rear elevational view of the plug of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along the line 1 616 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along the line 1717 of FIG. 16; and

FIG. 18 is a sectional view of a modified embodiment of a filter systemutilizing the valve of this invention.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawingswherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, afiltration system embodying the present invention is generally shown at20 in FIG. 2. Filtration system 20 basically includes a vessel 22, afilter 24 and a valve 26.

Valve 26 basically comprises a body 28 and a plug 30. Body 28 isprovided with ports 32, 34, 36, and 38 (FIG. '4). As is apparent fromFIG. 4, ports 32 and 34- are aligned with each other and ports 36 and 38are aligned with each other. Additionally, each port is out of phasewith the adjacent port on either side. Pipes 40, 42, 44 and 46 aresecured to the body at ports 32, 34, 36 and 38, respectively.

Plug 30 rests in the center of body 28. As seen in FIG. 2, the body 28is hollow and includes an inward- 3 1y tapering wall in going from itstop to its bottom. The outer wall of plug 30 also contains the sametaper, and therefore a smooth fit is obtained by the complementary wallsof body 28 and plug 30. Additionally, plug 30 is rotatable within body28.

Referring to FIGS. 11 to 17 it is seen that plug 30 includes a low frontwall portion 48 which gradually rises to form a raised rear wall portion50. Front wall 48 is provided with an arcuate notch 52 which is incommunication with a channel 54 formed in the top surface of the plug.As best seen in FIG. 14, channel 54 is split and diverges about acentral hub 56. Additionally, as seen in FIG. 11, the bottom of channel54 rises in going from front wall 48 to rear wall 50.

A central bore 58 passes vertically through hub 56. A channel 60 isformed in wall 50 and projects inwardly into communication with bore 58.An enlarged cavity 62 is formed at the junction of bore 58 and channel60. O- ring grooves 64 are formed above and below cavity 62.

As seen in FIG. 13, the lower surface 66 f plug 30 has a circularcross-section. One quadrant of this surface is provided with gear teeth68. The gear teeth 68 are cut directly into the plug 30. When the' plugis a molded plastic, the gear teeth can be structurally reinforced, asby providing a metallic strip of gear teeth which will be secured to thecut gear teeth in the plug or by molding metal gear teeth into the plug.

Referring again to FIG. 2, it is seen that body 28 is provided with acircular plate 70 at its bottom. Plate 70 can be secured to the body 28by any suitable means such as welding. In the embodiment shown, theplate 70 is additionally held against the bottom of body 28 by threadedsecurement with central tube 72. Thus, central tube 72 is threadedlysecured in plate 70, as shown at 74 in FIG. 2. Central tube 72 passesthrough bore 58 in plug 30. As seen in FIG. 4, central tube 72 includesthree equally spaced ports 76 which are in communication with cavity 62and channel 60. O-rings 78 (FIGS. 2 and 3) are placed above and belowcavity 62 and are received in O-ring grooves 64 (FIG. 17).

A collar 80 is telescoped over tube 72 and is held in place by anysuitable means such as an annular groove cut in tube 72 which willreceive a split collar or by welding. A compression spring 82 abutscollar 80 and hub 56 on plug 30. Spring 82 forces plug 30 downwardly invalve body 28.

A bracket 84 (FIG. 1) is secured to the lower surface of plate 70, as bywelding. A rod 86 (FIG. passes through an opening in plate 88 of bracket84. As seen in FIG. 2, rod 86 has a square cross-section. Rod 86includesl an enlarged handle 90 at one end thereof, and the other end ofrod 86 is provided with gear teeth 92. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, thelongitudinal length of gear teeth 92 is equal to the circumferentiallength of gear teeth 68. As is apparent from arrows 94, rod 86 isadapted to reciprocate longitudinally. As is further apparent fromarrows 96, plug 30 and its assocaited gear teeth 68 are adapted tooscillate. Thus, the combined effect of rod 86 with its associated gearteeth on plug 30 with its associated gear teeth is to translatelongitudinal movement into rotational movement. To this extent, the rodand plug act as a rack and pinion connection.

Valve body 28 is secured to circular plate 98, as by welding. Plate 98includes a central circular opening 100 which is equal in diameter tothe inner diameter of body 28. Plate 98 is also provided with an annulargroove 102 in its upper surface. Three angularly disposed legs 104 aresecured to the bottom of plate 98. As seen in FIG. 1, legs 104 supportthe entire filtration system 20.

Vessel 22 is circular in cross-section and has its lower edge receivedin annular groove 102. A gasket 106 is positioned below the lower edgeof the vessel within groove 102. The upper edge of vessel 22 is receivedin an annular groove of separator plate 108. Again, the groove containsa gasket 110. A cover 112 has its lower edge re- 4 ceived in an annulargroove in the top surface of separator plate 108. Here again, a suitablegasket 114 is positioned within the groove.

Central tube 72 passes upwardly through separator plate 108 and througha central opening 116 in cover 112. An O-ring 118 surrounds tube 72 inthe area of plate 108. The top of tube 72 is threaded as seen at 120. Agasket 122 is telescoped over the top of tube 72 and a cover nut 124 isthreadedly secured on tube 72 and bears against gasket 122.

It is thus seen that tube 72 serves to maintain all of the elements ofassembly 20 in place. Thus, the tube has its lower end threadedlysecured in plate 70 and has an adjustable pressure applied against theentire assembly through the tightening of cover nut 124 on the top endof tube 72. Furthermore, all connections with the tube are liquid andair tight. Thus, O-rings 78 prevent any liquid or air leakage aroundports 76. O-rings 118 prevents any leakage through separator plate 108in the area of the tube. Gasket 122 prevents any leakage through thetopof the assembly in the area of the tube. The spring 82 forces plug 30downward, thereby preventing any leakage between the plug and itsassociated body 28. Gaskets 102, and 114 prevent any leakage at theconnection points for vessel 22 and cover 112. Since the entire assemblyis held rigidly in place by the central tube 72, the entire vessel canbe and is used as a pressure vessel, as will be explained hereinafter.

Separator plate 108 serves a first function of separating the filtrationchamber into an area of clean fluid above the plate and an area ofcontaminated fluid below the plate. Plate 108 serves a second functionof supporting the filter element 24. Filter element 24 is circular incrosssection and comprises a pleated cylindrical ring 126 ('FIG. 8) anda foraminous covering 128. By way of example, covering 128 can be anylon fabric. The bottom of pleated ring 126 is capped by a ring 130which is secured within the bottom of ring 126. Plug 130 canconveniently be a cast plastic which is embedded in place. As seen inFIGS. 8 and 9, bands 132 are secured to the inner and outer edges ofpleated ring 126. The fabric screen 128 is preferably formed from atubular fabric which is put in place by first passing the tubevertically downward through the center of ring 126. Thereafter, the tubeof fabric is folded backward whereby it will be lifted vertically upwardalong the outer surface of ring 126. In doing this, the fabric will passon the exterior sides of bands 132, as seen in FIGS. 8 and 9.

After the fabric has been placed on ring 126, the ring is secured inplate 108. This is accomplished by casting the ring within the plate 108during the formation of the 'plate. A preferred material for the plateis an epoxy resin. During the casting process, the plate 108 will beadhered to bands 132. At the same time, the top edges of fabric 128 willbe bound in place by the cast resin. The use of bands 132 prevents anyof the resin from flowing into the pleated or undulated ring 126. Thus,as seen in the portion of FIG. 8 shown in plan, the bands 132 willmerely contact and be secured to the outer extremities of the pleats,with the central portions remaining completely open.

In use, the entire assembly 20 will first be in the condition shown inFIG. 2. While in this condition, contaminated fluid will enter theassembly through pipe 40. By Way of example, the contaminated fluid canbe cutting oil from a milling machine which has been contaminated withdirt and cut chips and splinters of metal. The oil is pumped through.pipe 40 and through port 32 of body 28. The oil is then directedupwardly by passing through channel 54 in plug 30. The only directionthat the oil can travel is upwardly in view of the fact that there is atight seal between the complementary tapering surfaces of the plug andthe body 28. Thus, ports 36 and 38 are com pletely closed by the plug,as seen in FIG. 4. Likewise,

coming oil entering through port 32. Cavity 62 is sealed from theincoming oil by upper O-rings 78.

The incoming oil travels upwardly, fills the hollow body .28, and risesinto vessel 22. In passing upwardly, the oil will pass through fabric128 and into the channels formed by the pleated .ring 126. As isapparent from the arrows in 'FIG. 2, the oil will enter the pleats fromboth the inner and outer side of ring 126. Since the vessel 22 is liquidtight, and since the bottom of ring 126 is sea ed by plug 130, the onlypath the contaminated oil can follow is through the fabric 128 and intothe channels of ring 126.

During this upward travel of the contaminated oil, the contaminantswithin the oil are deposited on fabric 128 as shown at 132 in FIG. 8.The oil passing through the fabric into the ring 126 will be completelyfree of all the contaminants, which are filtered out by the fabric.Thus, as explained above, the only possible path which the oil canfollow is through the fabric. Since the oil is being pumped into thefiltering system 20, the clean oil will collect above separator plate108. The level of the cleaned oil will continue to rise until it reachesthe ports 136 (FIG. 2) in the upper portion of tube 72. At this time,the oil will pass into the ports 136 and downwardly through tube 72.

After the oil has passed down through tube 72, as shown by the arrows inFIG. 2, it will pass out through ports 76 in the tube into cavity 62 inplug 30 and through channel 60 in the plug. Thereafter, the cleaned oilwill pass through port 34 in body 28 and out through pipe 42. At thispoint, the oil can be collected for re-use or can be recirculated forcontinued use.

As the filtration process is continued, the contaminants 134 willcontinue to build up on screen 128. Eventually a point will be reachedwhere the contaminant layer is of such a thickness as to prevent furthereflicient flow rate. When this point is reached, the filter must becleaned of its contaminants. In order to accomplish the cleaning, plug30 is rotated 90 counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 4. This isaccomplished by pulling handle 90 of rod 86 to the right, as viewed inFIG. 5. When this is done, gear teeth 92 will mesh with gear teeth 68and rotate the plug exactly one quadrant, as seen in FIG. 6. When thisis done, channel 60 will be aligned with port 36 (FIG. 7) and channel 54will be aligned with port 38. As best seen in FIG. 4, during thisrotational movement ports 32, 34, 36 and 38 will all be closed by thewall of plug 30. Thus, there is no danger of an unwanted fluid enteringor leaving any of the ports during the shifting of plug 30. In thisconnection, it should be noted that vessel 22 will be completely filledwith contaminated liquid at the time the shifting of the plug takesplace and there will be a low level of clean liquid above separatorplate 108 during this shifting.

Immediately upon the completion of the shifting, a backwash fluid willbe forced under pressure through pipe 44. By way of example, thebackwash fluid can be air at approximately 35 p.s.i. As best seen inFIG. 7, the air will enter pipe 44, pass through channel 60 into cavity62 and then into ports 76 of pipe 72. The air will follow the path ofthe arrows in FIG. 7 up through pipe 72 and out through ports 136. Itwill then pass downwardly along the pleats of ring 126 and out throughfabric 128. As seen in FIG. 7, this causes a billowing of the fabricaway from the ring. As best seen in FIG. 10, air pressure, in additionto forcing the fabric 128 outward also removes all of the accumulatedmuck or contaminants 134 from the fabric. Since the vessel 22 waspreviously filled with liquid and the supply of the air pressure issubstantially instantaneous after the plug 30 has been rotated, theliquid still remains within the vessel when the air pressure isintroduced. Therefore, the removed contaminants 134 are immediatelycarried away by the liquid which remains in the vessel. Thus, as seen inFIG. 7, the liquid with the entrained removed contaminants follows thepath of the arrows to channel '54 in plug 30. Thereafter the liquid willpass through port 38 to pipe 46 where it can be disposed of or furthertreated.

After all of the contaminated liquid has been removed by the backwashingoperation, rod 86 is again reciprocated to the position shown in FIG. 5.At this point, the plug will be in the position shown in FIG. 2 and theapparatus is again adapted for use in filtration.

A modified embodiment of the filtration system of this invention isgenerally shown at in FIG. 18. Device 140 includes a vessel 142, filterelement 24 which is identical to that of embodiment 20, and valve 144.Valve 144 includes a body 146 and plug 148. Body 146 includes ports 32and 34, and ports 36 and 38 which are not shown. Vessel 142 isintegrally attached to body 146 and includes ports which are alignedwith the ports in body 146. Plug 148 is substantially the same as plug30. However, channel 60, cavity 62 and bore 58 have been replaced by asingle arcuate channel 150. Channel 150 has one end in communicationwith port 34 and the other end passes through the top of hub 56. Plug148 also includes an elongated boss 152 projecting from the bottomthereof. Boss 152 passes through an opening in base 154 of body 146. AnO-ring 156 is positioned within base 154. A handle 158 is secured in theportion of boss 152 which projects below base 154.

A tube 160 having a collar 162 adjacent its lower end is inserted in thetop of channel 150. The insertion is such that the collar 162 results onthe top of hub 56. A11 O-ring 164 is positioned against tube 160. Thetop of tube 160 passes through plate 108. Again, a suitable O-ring 166is used. A collar 168 is secured on tube 160 adjacent its top. Acompression spring 170 is telescoped over tube 160 and is mountedbetween collar 168 and separator plate 108. It is thus seen that theforce of compression spring 170 is transmitted through the tube tocollar 162, which in turn transmits the force against plug 148 therebyinsuring an effective seal between the walls of the plug and the innerwall of body 146.

In this embodiment the filter element 24 is identical to that previouslydescribed. Cover 172 is similar to cover 112. However, cover 172 isimpervious and tube 160 will not pass through the cover. Instead, thecover 172 is secured in place by a group of swing bolts 174. Each swingbolt 174 includes a tab 176 which is secured to vessel 142. Bolt 178 ispivotally secured in tab 76 by pin 180. A second tab 182 is secured tocover 172. This tab includes a slot projecting longitudinally inwardfrom its outer edge. In use, bolt 178 will be pivoted upwardly into theslot in tab 182. Thereafter, a wing nut 184 will secure the bolt inplace. Through the use of two or more swing bolts 174, the cover 172will be held securely in place. In a preferred embodiment three swingbolts will be used. As an alternative to the use of the swing bolts, tierods can be used for maintaining the cover in place.

Any materials known to the art for use in valves and filter sytems canbe used with the valve and filter of this invention. For example, thevalve body can be of stainless steel, brass or aluminum. The plug ispreferably a molded plastic although it can be metal. The reason thatplastic is preferred is that there is less frictional resistance to therotation of the plug when the plug is plastic. Polypropylene is apreferred plastic but other plastics such as nylon can be used. When theplug is formed from plastic, it may be desirable to reinforce the gearteeth 68 with metal gear teeth which are molded in place or subsequentlysecured in place.

The vessels 22 and 142 can be of any material that can withstand thepressure of the backwashing. Thus various metals such as steel oraluminum may be used. Alternatively, molded transparent plastics such asPlexiglas can be used whereby the accumulation of the contaminants onthe fabric 128 can be viewed. Fiber glass reinforced epoxy resin hasbeen found to be effective both from the standpoint of structure anddurability in use. Likewise, the covers 112 and 172 can be formed fromthe same materials as vessel 22.

Ring 126 can be fabricated from plastic or metal. Any of theaforementioned plastics or metals can be used. From the standpoint ofeconomy of manufacture and economy of replacement, the pleated ring 126can be formed from porous paper, such as filter paper, which has beenimpregnated and coated with epoxy resin. Likewise, bands 132 can alsocomprise the same type of paper impregnated with epoxy resin. In thisway a strong bond can be obtained between the ring 126 and the bands132. The separator plate 108 can be a cast epoxy resin. However, any ofthe moldable plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene or nylon canbe used. The plugs 130 are also preferably cast plastic, such as epoxyresin.

The foraminous covering 128 can be any material which will permit thepassage of a fluid but prevent the passage of solids. Nylon fabric is apreferred material for a number of reasons. Thus, nylon has a great dealof inherent strength. Additionally, nylon also has an inherentlubrieating property whereby the accumulated contaminants are easilyreleased during the backwash cycle. Using other fabrics, the releaseproperty may not be as great and replacement of the filter would have tobe carried out more frequently. Other materials that can be used for theforaminous covering are wire cloth and cotton. If desired, a coating ofabsorptive materials such as diatomaceous earth can be deposited on theforaminous covering to aid in filtration.

Although the filter element can be continually cleaned using the deviceof this invention, replacement when necessary is simple and economical.Thus, all that is necessary is to remove the cover 112 and lift theseparator plate 108 having the filter element 24 secured thereonvertically upward. A new filter element is easily dropped in place andthe device is ready for use within an extremely short time.

One of the features of the filter element of this invention is that agreat deal of surface area for filtration is presented in a relativelysmall volume of space. Thus, a filtering surface area is present on bothsides of the pleated ring 126, as is apparent from FIG. 8. The height ofthe ring 126 can be varied to suit the needs of the user. The surfacearea presented by the ring is substantially greater than that whichcould be obtained when using a horizontal screen filter.

One of the main features of the valve of this invention is the fact thatit is readily adapted for automatic control. Thus, rod 86 can beconnected to a pneumatic piston which is in turn timer controlled. Thus,an operator can determine the normal timing cycle for filtration and thenecessary backwash for any given machine. For instance, it may bedetermined that a period of ten minutes continuous filtration willresult in an accumulation of contaminants on the filter which willprohibit further effective flow rate. The operator may further determinethat a period of three seconds is needed for complete backwash. Thus thepneumatic piston would be set to operate in the filteration position fora period of ten minutes and in the backwash position for a period ofthree seconds. Through the use of centrifugal pumps, the feeding of theoil or other liquid can be maintained continuously to the filter system.When the system is in the backwash position, there is no fear of thepumps forcing liquid into the filter system in view of the fact that allports are closed during the change in position. Thus no contaminatedliquid will be added until the channel 54 is aligned with port 32.

In instances where automatic control is unnecessary and manual controlwill be used, the device shown in FIG. 16 can be used. Thus, theentering liquid will pass through port 32 up through channel 54 andthrough the filter in the manner described above. In this embodiment theliquid entering tube 160 enters by way of overflow into the top of thetube. The clean liquid passes through the bottom of the tube and outthrough channel to port 34. When backwashing is necessary, handle 158can manually be rotated to have the plug 148 in the backwash position.Suitable stops can be used to insure that the channels 54 and 150 arealways properly aligned with their respective ports. In this connection,the rack and pinion arrangement shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 will also insureproper alignment of the channels at their respective ports, in view ofthe fact that the gears are arranged so as to move the plug exactly onequadrant.

Although the device has been described as being used with cutting oil,it is to be understood that it can be used with any fluid. Thus it canbe used for filtering Well water or for filtering hydraulic oil. Theporosity of the foraminous material 128 can also be made suflicientlyfine to adapt the system for the filtering of contaminants from air.Although the backwash fiuid has been described as being air, othermaterials can also be used. Thus, in many instance clean fluid which hasbeen filtered can be used for backwashing the system.

Although the valve has been described as being specifically used withthe filter 24, the valve can also be used with any of the prior artfilters. Thus, the valve can be used with the prior suspended tubefilters or bed filters. Likewise, the filter 24 can be used with valvesother than the valves of this invention. Thus, four individual gatevalves can be associated with the filter housing in order to accomplishfiltration. However, the combination of the valve of this invention andthe filter of this invention is novel and the two elements provide anextremely efiicient system in combination.

One of the features of the system in combination is the fact that aspring pressure is always applied against the plug 30. Thus thispressure is transmitted by spring 82 or spring 170. Having this springpressure insures that the plug 30 will always be properly seated in thebody 28, thereby insuring that there will never be any leakage. Althoughthe valve will work just as effectively without the spring, the springdoes serve as an additional insurance value. Even without the spring,however, the weight of the fluid will still force the plug downwardbecause of the tapering sides, and for this reason effective sealing canbe accomplished.

Although cylindrical ring 126 is shown as having a substantiallycircular cross-section, the cross-section can be of other continuousring shapes, such as square, hexagonal or free-form. Additionally, thenumber of rings 126 can be varied. Thus, in large vessels concentricrings or spaced rings can be used.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrates myinvention, that others may, by applying current or future knowledge,adopt the same for use under various conditions of service.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A valve comprising a hollow body and a plug rotatably mounted in saidbody, said body having four spaced ports formed in the wall thereof,said plug having a first channel formed therein, said plug having a topsurface, with said first channel forming said top surface, said firstchannel being vertically extending in said plug, and increasing in widthin going from its lower end to its upper end, said first channel adaptedto be in fluid communication with a first of said ports, said plughaving a second channel formed therein, said second channel adapted tobe in fluid communication with a second of said ports when said firstchannel is in fluid communication with said first of said ports, saidchannels being physically isolated from each other, means for rotatingsaid plug to bring said channels out of and into communication with saidfirst and second of said ports, said first channelbeing adapted to berotated into fluid communication with a third of said ports, with saidsecond channel being in fluid communication with the fourth of saidports when said first channel is in fluid communication with the thirdof said ports, said ports being formed in the side of said body, withsaid first channel projecting upwardly from the side of said plug ingoing toward the center of said plug, said body forming a wall aroundsaid first channel, with said first channel widening in conjunction withsaid body, whereby said first channel is adapted to direct incomingfluid from one of said ports upwardly from the top surface of said plug,and whereby said first channel is adapted to guide a fluid downwardlyinto one of said ports when said fluid is passing down said firstchannel into said port.

2. The valve of claim 1 wherein said plug can be rotated to a positionwherein said channels are out of communication with all of said portsand said ports will be sealed. by the wall of said plug when said plugis in said position.

3. The valve of claim 1 wherein said body includes an inner wall whichtapers inwardly in going from its top to its bottom and said plugincludes a tapered exterior wall, with the taper on the wall of saidplug being complementary with the wall of said body whereby a fluidtightseal is made.

4. The valve of claim 1 wherein said plug includes a 10 centrallylocated hub, with said second channelbeing formed in said hub, and saidfirst channel diverges around said hub.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 10/1897 GreatBritain 137625.19 6/1929 France 137625.l9

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner R. B. ROTHMAN, Assistant Examiner US.Cl. X.R. 137--590

